Richard Simmons’ self-made TV parodies are campy masterpieces

For those of us not lucky enough to live in Slimmons country, Richard Simmons is a living ’80s artifact, the spangled, perversely upbeat equivalent of Spuds McKenzie or a Rubik’s Cube. (While his public profile may have dimmed, his core following remains intensely loyal, and Simmons claims to receive thousands of emails from hopeless dieters every year.)

He’s been trying to change that, however, with a Betty White-esque second act that includes a reliably nutty Facebook page, Instagram account, appearances on everything from Jimmy Kimmel Live! to Fox News and an honestly pretty awful dance single. But the crown jewel in Simmons’ comeback tiara is his YouTube page, where recently he gifted the world with a high camp series of TV parodies that can be best described as rejected SNL sketches performed by the cast of Whatever Happened To Baby Jane?. Enjoy.